Breakdown of law, people
Independent commission must probe reasons for anarchy; right to information law essential
Twenty-four-year-old Chandrika Kumara, a housewife, in the sleepy hamlet of Bilbewewa in the Anuradhapura District, chose to join four others on Monday night for a ride in the small trailer of a two wheel tractor to attend a funeral.
Little did this mother of a four-year-old child realise it was a journey that would end in her death. Four of her companions, seriously injured, are now lying at the Anuradhapura base hospital. Tragedy struck them when a speeding van crashed into the tractor. Except for being one more for Police Headquarters statistics of traffic accidents and resultant deaths, the incident would have been forgotten. The number of road deaths, even Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena remarked rather effusively not so long ago, was higher than those who died of dengue.
That was not to be. Almost an entire hamlet turned up outside the Tambuttegama Police Station. They blocked the main KurunegalaAnuradhapura highway for more than three hours on Thursday and staged a protest. They carried the coffin which had the body of Chandrika. Their grouse -- Police had "under reported" the facts of the traffic accident resulting in the driver of the van receiving bail in court. Police were forced to fire tear gas after the crowds, estimated at more than a thousand, tried to enter the police station. They hurled back to the police premises tear gas canisters directed at them. Some even threw stones damaging windows of the police station. Police had to call for reinforcements.
Whilst awaiting their arrival, Mahesh Senaratne, the Superintendent (SP) in charge of Anuradhapura District, reached the scene. He told "the van driver involved in the accident was also injured. He was in hospital, but had got himself discharged the same night. It was the following morning that he surrendered to the police. In this case, the Police could have remanded him the same night the accident occurred after producing the suspect before the Judicial Medical Officer (JMO) and a magistrate. He could have been under the influence of liquor. This aspect is being gone into. This is why the people felt suspicious and were angry as he was not arrested immediately.
"However in the 'B' report filed by the Police, they asked that the driver be remanded as releasing him could lead to unrest. This was particularly so since the driver was from a neighbouring village. The lawyer appearing for the suspect had informed court that his client could pay compensation to the affected persons or their families. The suspect was thus released on bail. But the people thought the Police had not filed the 'B' report properly. I have assured the villagers that an impartial inquiry will be held into the events which led to this incident." He also said the Police would take strong action against those responsible for the attack on the Police Station. On Friday, 13 persons allegedly involved in the protests were arrested.
Also this week, in Thabbowa in the Puttalam District, more than 200 villagers held a protest on Friday alleging that the Karuwalagaswewa Police had failed to take action against a local politician who was involved in illegal fishing in the irrigation tank there. They claimed that due to this activity, the local fishermen have been affected. Villagers held placards and shouted slogans. Senior police officials were at the scene on Friday evening trying to persuade the villagers to call off the protest.
Puttalam's Deputy Inspector General I.M. Karunaratne told "The issue at the Tabbowa tank was connected with a tussle over fishing rights. It is the fishermen who have freshwater fishing projects in this tank. They later catch the fish from the tank when the harvest is ready. But this week a group of farmers accompanied by two members had caught fish depriving the fishermen of their harvest. It was due to this that the fishermen held a protest against the police in Karuwalagaswewa claiming that they were not taking action.
"To correct the situation I ordered that a meeting be held with all parties concerned and a solution reached. Accordingly, the Assistant Government Agent (AGA) came for the meeting. It was decided that only the fishermen will be allowed to ply their trade while the farmer families will be given fish at a concession. In the event of a function to be held by the farmers an extra 25 kilogrammes will be available for sale to them."
Last Wednesday, a Poya Day, DIG Karunaratne directed Chief Inspector Manoj Ranagala, officer in charge of the Chilaw Police, to conduct raids on illegal sand mining in the area. The move followed repeated complaints from the public that inconsiderate mining was causing environmental damage. A Police team raided one of the areas at Arachchikattuwa where mining was under way and seized a tipper truck. Barely had the Police managed to take it to their station when a group led by a UPFA member, having very close connections to a minister, came with a mob and took away the tipper truck with the load of sand. Later, they were unloading it in a sand mining area when a larger Police team swooped down on them, arrested the driver and seized the tipper truck once again. Police said the driver did not have a permit to transport sand in the truck. The member went missing and later surrendered to the Police. Mawathagamage Roshan Perera, the PS member, was remanded till Tuesday by Chilaw Magistrate Jagath A. Kahandagama.
One night in September last year, a youth was taken into custody by the Dompe Police. He alleged that he was tortured. The same night another youth was brought into the same Police Station. He died hours thereafter allegedly due to torture. Crowds who stormed the police station took away the youth's body to hospital. Army contingents had to move in to control the situation. The Criminal Investigation Department arrested five police officers in this regard. In May last year, Roshen Chanaka, a 21year-old employee from the Katunayake Export Processing Zone succumbed to gunshot injuries sustained when Police opened fire at protestors. He died two days later. More than 200 workers were injured when police attacked a worker protest using water cannon, tear gas, batons and live rounds. They were protesting against a government proposal to introduce a pension scheme for the private sector. This was strongly opposed by other workers as well and the government eventually called off the proposed scheme. In September, last year, a row developed between the Police and residents in Karandeniya after the death of a 40-year-old doctor. He was shot dead by two men who came on a motorbike. The victim was attached to the Borakanda Government Hospital and was shot when he was practising in his private medical centre. Residents of the area said the doctor was renowned and respected by the residents for his remarkable service as most of the time he had not charged anything from his patients. They burnt buildings and houses in protest.
All the rowdy events outside police stations come at a time when public agitations over other issues are mounting. One such case is the controversy over the Z-score system of marks that make students eligible for entry into universities. Hundreds of parents and students are turning to everyone outside the government. That includes opposition parliamentarians, lawyers, civil society groups, astrologers and even poojas in temples or kovils to seek relief from what they say is grave injustice. Then the strike by the 4,000 strong Federation of University Teachers' Associations (FUTA), which began on July 4, has paralysed most of the country's universities.
Last Monday, when President Mahinda Rajapaksa met with editors of national newspapers, the issue was raised. Rajapaksa reached out to the phone and asked for Higher
"However in the 'B' report filed by the Police, they asked that the driver be remanded as releasing him could lead to unrest. This was particularly so since the driver was from a neighbouring village. The lawyer appearing for the suspect had informed court that his client could pay compensation to the affected persons or their families. The suspect was thus released on bail. But the people thought the Police had not filed the 'B' report properly. I have assured the villagers that an impartial inquiry will be held into the events which led to this incident." He also said the Police would take strong action against those responsible for the attack on the Police Station. On Friday, 13 persons allegedly involved in the protests were arrested
Education Minister S.B. Dissanayake. Within minutes a telephone operator at 'Temple Trees' connected him. The Minister was asked to come over immediately. "The media are raising some questions," Rajapaksa told Dissanayake after he arrived.
"Which issue - the ' score or FUTA," the minister asked.
He was told it was both. On the Z score, Dissanayake said a report to the cabinet would be ready later that day. However, the report has been further delayed. Evidently excited, Dissanayake was to address Rajapaksa as
(Madam President). Rajapaksa exhorted " or that period is now over. He was alluding to the term of former President Chandrika Bandaranaike Kumaratunga. Dissanayake was a key member of her cabinet until he crossed over to the United National Party (UNP). However, he later returned to the fold ahead of the presidential elections in 2010. Rajapaksa was also to make some light-hearted comments when a journalist raised a question on references in
political commentary last week to what the President had told the cabinet the previous week. or the source had not told them everything, he said jokingly.
As for the on-going strike by the FUTA, Dissanayake said they were asking for what he said was six per cent of the national budget be spent on education, and added that their demand for salary increases was not warranted. "Even the judges in courts do not receive that much money," added Rajapaksa. It is not clear whether ministers could examine the report on the Z score on Wednesday when the cabinet meets. Besides Dissanayake's, there will also be a report by Education Minister Bandula Gunawardena. Rajapaksa told national newspaper editors that he wants to ascertain from the ministerial reports to what extent the Z score system of marks has affected the students.
Making matters worse was the discovery that for a second time within a year, contaminated fuel was being distributed by the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation. This time, hundreds of vehicles choked, stuttered and stopped in the streets as a result of diesel being contaminated. Earlier, it was petrol contaminated with water that caused havoc to petrol-driven vehicles.
It was in June last year that a stock of petrol that was contaminated was discovered. More than 800 vehicles suffered petrol pump and carburettor damage. When the issue received wide publicity, the government appointed a highlevel committee to probe the matter. Its contents were never made public. Ministerial committees have become big jokes in the country; nor was action taken to deal with any official in the Ceylon Petroleum Corporation (CPC). Its